


Unrequited

by ketabat



Series: hargrove-mayfields [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Have a Good Relationship, Billy Hargrove Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Drabble, F/F, F/M, Gay Billy Hargrove, Lesbian Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Other, Random & Short, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-29 11:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21139934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ketabat/pseuds/ketabat
Summary: “Stop looking at her like a lovesick bitch, freckleface.”Max’s reaction is instantaneous. She sits up straighter, clears her throat and tucks her hair behind her ears. “I’m not looking at her,” she says, defensive.aka billy & max being gay and sad





	Unrequited

“Stop looking at her like a lovesick bitch, freckleface.”

Max’s reaction is instantaneous. She sits up straighter, clears her throat and tucks her hair behind her ears. “I’m not looking at her,” she says, defensive.

Billy sits down next to her on the porch. It makes her sidle a few inches away from him, hands wedged between her knees. He sniffles, reaching behind his ear for his cigarette.

Then he remembers he’d given it to Steve a few minutes ago. He reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out the packet. “Oh? And let me guess, you’re always defending her because you’re a raging fucking feminist, huh?” He asks, voice dripping sarcasm.

Her lips pull into a tight line, eyes casting downwards. Billy offers her a cigarette. It’s an oddly endearing gesture. She declines with a tut of her tongue and a potent declaration of her underage state. Billy rolls his eyes, shrugs, and pockets the packet after lighting the coffin nail between his lips. “So, you two fuckin?”

“Dude!” Max exclaims, horrified. “What’s gotten into you?”

_Nothing, unfortunately._

“What?!” he shouts back. “It’s just a question, you prude.”

“Not everything’s about sex, you know” Max mumbles, deflating. Her shoulders slump. She looks smaller. Weaker.

Billy licks his lips, then takes a long drag of his smoke. “Alright. Let me try this the lame way. Have you confessed your undying love for the freak?”

Max huffs and opens her mouth like she wants to complain about the insulting trivialisation of her feelings. Then she groans. “She’s _always_with Mike. They’re broken up but he’s following her around and it’s so _annoying._”

Billy laughs around his cigarette, mostly at her use of a profanity. “Want me to mount his mom and ask her to ground him so you can cuckold his bitch?”

“Disgusting,” Max doesn’t sound grossed out. Maybe a little concerned. “What’s the deal with her anyway? She’s like, double your age. Sometimes I think Nancy is the only sane one in that family.”

Billy takes one last lungful of smoke then puts it out on the stair he’s sitting on. “The Wheeler chick is fucking the guy who took naked photos of her. Don’t think she’s all there either,” he pauses until the fog of smoke dissipates. “Twelve’s cool,” he finally says. It sounds like it was wrenched from him. “I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? You’d get sweetly rejected by her?”

_“Eleven,”_ Max corrects sharply. “And _yeah,_rejection feels horrible but you’re too _cool_ to know that.”

Billy’s eyes automatically travel to where Steve is standing, cheeks red and grin wide as he talks to Joyce. He’s so fucking gorgeous when he’s carefree. Billy has the sudden urge to annoy the hell out of him. He really needs to learn how to properly deal with his feelings.

“Yeah,” he says absently, eyes lingering on Harrington for just a second longer before he’s looking away. “All I’m sayin’ is maybe she doesn’t know you’re on the table.”

“I hate you.”

“Let her know you’re up for grabs,” he grins, all teeth, and bumps his shoulder into hers. He means for it to be friendly but she hits the wooden railing with a grunt before pushing him away halfheartedly.

“I _really_ hate you.”

Billy gives a chuckle and stands up to leave. He’s at the bottom of the porch when Max calls his name.

“What is it, shitbird?” He asks, all characteristic nonchalance and lordly airs as he turns to face her.

“How did you— How did you know?” Max queries, low and hesitant, fingers interlaced tightly and knuckles white.

Billy wets his lips, glancing away for a brief second to get himself together. Then he looks at Steve. And Steve _looks back._ And smiles. And gives a small stupid wave before looking back at Joyce. Billy doesn’t really take his eyes off him as he says, “Because I look at someone the same way.”


End file.
